Lord Byron

Lord George Gordon Byron
Lord George Gordon Byron

Lord George Gordon Noel Byron, sixth Baron Byron


Biography
Lord Byron was born on January 22, 1788, into a family that was noble, but quickly losing their nobility. His father was named Captain "Mad Jack" Byron, and he married Catherine Gordon solely for her wealth. Lord Byron's father died in 1791, leaving only George and his mother. George Byron was born with a disability where he could only walk on the balls of his feet, sort of like tiptoeing. Because of this he stuck with sports like swimming and horseback riding where his feet wouldn't be an issue, but at school he played cricket, appointing another boy to run for him. Many of his teachers have reported Lord Byron as a genius, but he was rarely interested in his schoolwork, but was reading constantly to quench his thirst for knowledge and appetite for information. When his Granduncle died in 1798, Lord Byron inherited the title and his estate. After 4 years at Harrow, he attended trinity college where he realized the difference between high goals of idealism and the less important realities of experience.
"Lord Byron Biography." www.notablebiographies.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr.
2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Br-Ca/Byron-Lord.html>.


Writing Style

Lord Byron is known as having mainly lyrical and narrative works. He wrote many poems as well as many plays that some perceived as poetry. He was ranked as a minor Romantic poet, but now due to new interest in critisising his work, many are finding that his works employ satire and verbal digression with the presentation of an individual versus society along with its treatment of guilt and innocence. Due to this, he is now obtaining his rightful place among 18th and 19th century outstanding romantic poets.


"Lord Byron Criticism." www.enotes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.enotes.com/nineteenth-century-criticism/don-juan-lord-byron>.


Main Influences


Lord Byron's influences came mainly from what he was around everyday: nature, love, music, passion, joy. All of the good, bad and pleasant things in his life he expressed through poetry. Many of his famous poems came from his own feelings of passion towards someone or something, such as She Walks In Beauty.


Poetry & Poetry Analysis

There is a Pleasure in the Pathless Woods
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods;
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.


By: Amanda Gorshe
Analysis:
In this poem, Lord Byron is expressing his love of nature and how he loves to get away from society every once in a while. He is expressing his need and want to get back to his roots and connect with the world and universe away from technology, highways, and mankind. In the line "I love not man the less, but nature more," he tells of his love for both nature and mankind, but in his mind mankind gets obnoxious, whereas nature cannot.
http://www.helium.com/items/1427112-apostrophe-to-the-ocean?page=3

Stanzas For Music There be none of Beauty's daughters
With a magic like thee;
And like music on the waters
Is thy sweet voice to me:
When, as if its sound were causing
The charmed ocean's pausing,
The waves lie still and gleaming,
And the lull'd winds seem dreaming:

And the midnight moon is weaving
Her bright chain o'er the deep;
Whose breast is gently heaving,
As an infant's asleep:
So the spirit bows before thee,
To listen and adore thee;
With a full but soft emotion,
Like the swell of Summer's ocean



By: Amy Carr
Analysis:
This poem describes Lord Byron's love for nature. He is comparing the ocean to a woman and how the woman captivates him. In the lines, "so the spirit bows before thee, to listen and adore thee;" I believe he is talking about his spirit showing adoration for the ocean's beauty and grace. He uses the theme of innocence when he compares the sound of the ocean's heaving to an infant's sleep, meaning the ocean is innocent and sin and guilt free because it is a part of nature and beauty. In a way this poem can be expressed as a love poem (love lyrics) to a woman.
http://www.eliteskills.com/c/4734

She Walks In Beauty She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!


By: Lisa Sahlani
Analysis:
Lord Byron wrote this poem about a girl he was obviously in love with. His cousin. The main themes in this poem are love, beauty, nature, and innocence. Lord Byron considers nature to be very beautiful in general, so for him to compare a woman to nature is a great compliment. "She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies" is such a beautiful line comparing the one he's in love with the a clear, starry night, meaning she's calm and serene and gorgeous. The woman is innocent in the fact that she doesn't know Byron is in love with her, and her heart in fact belongs to her fiancee.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Lord-Byrons-She-Walks-in-Beauty&id=40911



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Works Cited


Google"); For(i=0;i, Ads By. "Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty"" EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Lord-Byrons-She-Walks-in-Beauty&id=40911>.

"Poetry Analysis: Apostrophe to the Ocean, by George Gordon Lord Byron - by Marshall Chisholm - Page 3 - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. <http://www.helium.com/items/1427112-apostrophe-to-the-ocean?page=3>.

"Stanzas For Music Analysis George Gordon, Lord Byron : Summary Explanation Meaning Overview Essay Writing Critique Peer Review Literary Criticism Synopsis Online Education." Writing Workshop, or Something. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. <http://www.eliteskills.com/c/4734>.